LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.
MANY ARE READY TO SHED SAFETY
PRECAUTIONS AND GATHER IN
GROUPS.
ALONG WITH WARM WINDS COMING IN,
THERE IS CAUTION BECAUSE
COVID-19 VARIANTS ARE NOW
CIRCULATING ACROSS THE U.S. AND
IN WISCONSIN.
LATEST NUMBERS SHOW 33 CASES OF
THE U.K. VARIANT IN THE STATE,
JUST AT THE TOP WHEN FOLKS ARE
GETTING TIRED OF ALL THE
RESTRICTIONS.
WE TURN NOW TO UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA EPIDEMIOLOGIST
DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM, A
NATIONAL EXPERT ON INFECTIOUS
DISEASE WHO WAS TAPPED EARLY BY
PRESIDENT BIDEN TO HELP GUIDE
THE COVID-19 RESPONSE.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO YOU ARE THE SOUNDING THE
ALARM ON THESE COVID VARIANTS
NOW CIRCUMSTANCE LAIGHT.
WHY?
WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?
>> WELL, WE REALLY LIVE IN A
TALE OF TWO CITIES.
THE TALE YOU HEARD FROM GOVERNOR
EVERS IS VERY REAL.
WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE
VACCINES THAT ARE COMING.
WE ARE AT A RELATIVELY LOW POINT
IN THE NUMBER OF CASES.
BUT THE SECOND TALE OF THE
SECOND CITY IS REALLY ABOUT ONE
OF BEING IN THE EYE OF A
HURRICANE, WHERE WE'VE GONE
THROUGH THAT FRONT WALL, WHICH
HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC AND
TRAUMATIC YEAR.
AND EVERYTHING LOOKS KIND OF
BLUE SKIES RIGHT NOW, GENTLE
BREEZES.
BUT THE BACK WALL IS COMING.
AND THAT IS THIS VARIANT, THE
MUTATED
MUTATED VIRUSES.
B117 IS ABOUT 40% TO 60% MORE
INFECTIOUS, CAUSING MORE SEVERE
DISEASE.
WE'RE SEEING THE RAPID INCREASE
IN THIS VIRUS' PRESENCE IN THE
UNITED STATES.
THIS IS GOING TO BE A REAL
CHALLENGE.
ENGLAND, FOR EXAMPLE, STILL IS
IN LOCKDOWN RELATIVE TO THIS
VIRUS SINCE CHRISTMAS.
THEY JUST OPENED SCHOOLS FOR THE
FIRST TIME THIS WEEK, BUT MOST
BUSINESSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS,
LIVE VENUES ARE ALL SHUT DOWN.
THIS IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT
MUCH OF EUROPE.
AND SO EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE
VACCINE HERE, IT'S COMING EVEN
MORE EVERY DAY, THERE'S STILL
SUCH A SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE
VACCINATED OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE
HAD PREVIOUS INFECTION THAT
ANYWHERE FROM 55% TO 60% OF OUR
POPULATIONS IN THE STATES OF THE
UPPER MIDWEST ARE STILL
VULNERABLE TO THIS VIRUS.
AND OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT
WEEKS WE'RE GOING TO SEE B117
TAKING OFF.
IN MINNESOTA WE'RE SEEING
EXTENSIVE OUTBREAKS BEGINNING TO
DEVELOP.
>> MEANWHILE THE CIRCULATION OF
THESE NEWER STRAINS COMES AT THE
SAME TIME THAT STATES ARE
OPENING UP AGAIN.
WHAT'S YOUR PREDICTION ABOUT
THOSE TWO THINGS HAPPENING AT
THE SAME TIME?
>> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S A
PERFECT STORM.
WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING BUT
TURNING OVER OUR CREDIT CARDS TO
THIS VIRUS.
WE'RE GIVING IT EVERY
OPPORTUNITY TO BE TRANSMITTED.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT SPRING BREAK
COMING UP IN FLORIDA WHICH
APPEARS TO BE THE STATE WITH THE
HIGHEST LEVEL OF VIRUS THERE IN
TERMS OF THE B117.
WE'RE SEEING ALL THESE OTHER
EVENTS TAKING PLACE, OPENING UP
RESTAURANTS, BARS, ET CETERA.
AND OPENING UP SCHOOLS.
I'VE BEEN A VERY STRONG
PROPONENT FOR OPENING K-8
BECAUSE WE'VE HAD DATA SHOWING A
VERY LOW RISK THERE.
THAT'S ALL DIFFERENT WITH B117.
IN EUROPE THEY HAD TO SHUT DOWN
SCHOOLS FOR MONTHS JUST TO TRY
TO CONTROL THE TRANSMISSION OF
THIS VIRUS.
SO I KNOW THE PUBLIC DOESN'T
WANT TO HEAR THIS.
IT'S HORRIBLE.
WE'RE ALL AT THE ENDS OF OUR
ROPE WITH REGARD TO THIS
PANDEMIC.
BUT THIS IS I THINK THE LAST BIG
HURDLE TO GET OVER, AT LEAST IN
TERMS OF THE SHORT TERM, WITH
THE VACCINE GOING TO HAVE BEEN
HERE IN MAY, THIS SURGE LASTING
12, 14 WEEKS.
I DON'T KNOW.
BUT IT'S GOING TO BE HERE FOR A
WHILE AND WE'VE GOT TO
UNDERSTAND THAT.
>> WELL, ONE ARTICLE WRITTEN
ABOUT YOUR PREDICTIONS CALLS YOU
DR. DOOM.
ARE YOU BEING UNNECESSARILY
PESSIMISTIC?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN
CALLED THAT ALL MY CREEMPLET LET CAREER.
IF YOU LOOK AT MY TRACK RECORD
ON THIS PANDEMIC I'VE CALLED IT
ALL ALONG.
A YEAR AGO THIS PAST TUESDAY, I
WAS ON THE JOE ROGAN PODCAST AND
I SAID I COULD SEE IN THE NEXT
YEAR WELL OVER 4800 DEATHS.
I WAS CALLED DR. DOOM AT THAT
POINT.
YOU KNOW WHAT THE NUMBER IS
RIGHT NOW IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE'RE AT 526,000 DEATHS.
SO I WILL JUST STICK WITH MY
RECORD AND SAY THAT GO TAKE A
LOOK AND THEN CAN YOU MAKE YOUR
OWN DECISION.
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ALWAYS GOOD
TO HAVE TO BRING BAD NEWS, BUT
IT'S IMPORTANT TO BRING THE
TRUTH TO THE PEOPLE.
>> AS TO VACCINES, YOU'VE ALSO
REPORTED THAT YOU ARE DELAYING
YOUR OWN SECOND DOSE.
WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT?
AND SHOULD WE BE DOING THAT AS A
MATTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY?
>> WELL, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE
DOING IT AS A MATTER OF PUBLIC
HEALTH POLICY AND I'M NOT ALONE.
THE COUNTRIES OF ENGLAND, UNITED
KINGDOM AND CANADA HAVE BOTH
DONE THAT RIGHT NOW.
BASED ON THE DATA, WE CAN SHOW
THAT WITH THE TWO FIRST VACCINES
LICENSED, THE TWO-DOSE VACCINES,
THAT YOU GET VERY GOOD
PROTECTION AFTER THE FIRST DOSE.
WE STILL WANT PEOPLE TO GET THE
SECOND DOSE, BUT WE'D LIKE TO
DLAIF THAT DELAY
THAT UNTIL WE GET THROUGH THE
SURGE.
THERE ARE 20 PLUS MILLION
RESIDENTS OF THIS COUNTRY OVER
65 WHO HAVE NOT HAD ANY ACCESS
TO THE VACCINE.
THIS IS WHERE THE SEVERE VACCINE
OCCURS, 80% OF THE DEATHS.
MOST OF THE HOSPITALIZATIONS,
MUCH OF THE SERIOUS ILLNESS.
AS WE GO INTO THIS SURGE, THE
MORE PEOPLE WHO HAVE ONE DOSE IN
THEIR ARM WOULD MEAN THAT MANY
FEWER PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO GET
SEVERE, DISEASE, HOSPITALIZATION
OR DIE.
SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT MY DOSE I
WOULD HAVE GOTTEN EARLIER, WHICH
I WILL GET EVENTUALLY, MAY GO
INTO THE ARM OF SOME GRANDPA OR
GRANDMA AND SAVE THEM TO BE
AROUND WITH THEIR GRANDKIDS
OFORT COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTHS
AHEAD.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR